The fourth annual Multiple Birth Awareness Festival took over the second floor of a west Houston hotel with a health fair, games for kids and special sessions with tips for their parents.

The event, sponsored by the National Organization of Mother of Twin's Clubs and Texas Children's Hospital, came on the heels of the birth last week of sextuplets at the Houston hospital.The festival aimed to raise public awareness of the special needs of parents and their multiples, as well as serve as a resource for overwhelmed parents and researchers who seek twins and multiples for studies, said Pam Krell, NOMOTC president, and a mother of twin sons.

"You've got two hands, but with multiples, you are balancing your time with the family, time with your spouse and challenges of everyday life," Krell said. "Even going to the grocery store is not as easy as jumping in the car and going."

'Expected to do it all'

And then there's school. Krell's organization has been lobbying to change various state laws to allow parents to decide whether their twins or multiples sit in the same classrooms or are separated. Texas lawmakers passed such legislation in 2007.

1 The recommended weight gain for average-size mothers of twins is 35-40 pounds.

1 22 percent of twins are left-handed. Less than 10 percent of non-twins are left-handed.

Source: National Organization of Mother of Twin's Clubs

"The hardest part for moms is that you're expected to do it all and do it well," said Kim Ozark, executive vice president of NOMOTC and mother of twin daughters. "Here you're validated that 'I'm not a bad mom,' and it gives you permission to lower your standards a little."

Creative parenting

With multiples, disciplining can get tricky, too.

"There's just more planning involved," said Patina Schorn, co-author of the parenting book "Answer Keys." "What works for one child won't necessarily work for another."

Laurie Fitt, who had quadruplets 14 years ago after trying to have a fourth child, said parenting multiples takes a lot of scheduling, from feedings to activities as the children get older.

She uses a color-coded calendar to keep track of each teen's activities, squeezes in individual time with each one through short trips to the grocery store or during other errands, and gets creative with how she disciplines.

When they were heading to preschool, for example, they could have breakfast only after they were dressed and ready to leave the house. Now, as teens, they must deposit their cellphones with their parents before going to bed. In the morning, they can retrieve the phone if their beds have been made.

"You have to stay on top of everything," Fitt said. "But you also have to take the time to just be a mom to each and every one of those children and be the mom that each kid needs."